Bell Fruit Three Alike (English) Need electric help

This area is to discuss slot machines. A slot machine is defined as a machine that pays the customer something of value (coin, token, etc.) when a winning combination is hit.

This area created on 2/7/17

Bell Fruit Three Alike (English) Need electric help

Postby Sailbag » Sat Apr 08, 2017 2:05 pm

Hello all,

Newbie to this forum and thanks in advance. I have a Bell Fruit Three Alike machine that need a little help. The mech seems to work fine and pays out 2 coins only from the primary coin stack. The Token Award coin stack is operated by a 220 VAC solenoid via several (3?) switches. All the wires have been removed and all that is left is the solenoid and switches. If there were any lights, they are gone too. Does anyone have a schematic? :D Can I assume that all 3 switches are wired is series so that when all 3 become closed, the solenoid pays out a coin? What about lighting??

I have spent a few hours searching on the web for info and can't find much of anything on this machine. I have found only one picture of a machine with the same shape and cabinet, also called Three Alike but the artwork is different. I did find the article by Freddy Bailey about the Bell-Fruit Manufacturing Co which was very interesting and informative. It appears that there were quite a few of these machines in use in the 60's and I am surprised that there is so little info.

Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.

Scott
20170408_165237.jpg
Sailbag
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 1:01 pm

Re: Bell Fruit Three Alike (English) Need electric help

Postby pachiwall! » Wed Apr 25, 2018 9:27 pm

I have a Bell Fruit slot. Same style open front.
Back at the laptop I have pics. My wiring is intact...but never tested by me.
pachiwall!
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:27 pm

Re: Bell Fruit Three Alike (English) Need electric help

Postby pachiwall! » Thu Apr 26, 2018 1:04 am

OOPS! Posted that from my phone, and thought it was 2 weeks old...instead of a YEAR and 2 weeks! #-o
Since I took pics for this old thread...and because I don't want to be a PIC TEASE. Not a good shot...but the best I could get with all that chrome reflecting the flash.
2050-12-31 23.59.59-241.jpg
Mine also "pays out 2 coins only from the primary coin stack." Brains Beer can also say... " The Token Award coin stack is operated by a 220 VAC solenoid via several (3?) switches" Mechanically, it can only pay out 2 coins. But there is a tall "hand filled" jackpot tube, that I always presumed was filled with tokens. I took pics of 4 switches tosee if similar...but seems he hasn't logged on in about a year as well. I sourced what I believe to be the correct currency...and tokens for it. Finally bought a 110 to 220 volt step up transformer...but have not opened that can of worms yet. I have too many things that "need done first"!
Just wondering...does anybody even like these things? They don't seem to gather much interest. I simply had to have it, because I had no mechanical machines at that time...AND because you had to line up BEER LABELS!
Attachments
2050-12-31 23.59.59-258.jpg
2050-12-31 23.59.59-255.jpg
2050-12-31 23.59.59-244.jpg
2050-12-31 23.59.59-243.jpg
pachiwall!
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:27 pm

Re: Bell Fruit Three Alike (English) Need electric help

Postby Anglobritish » Thu Apr 26, 2018 7:23 am

Bell-Fruit Fruit Machines Oct 5th, 1968.jpg
Bell-Fruit Penny Tumble.jpg
Bell-Fruit 3-A-Like Flyer.jpg
Hi,
The three alike was built by Bell-Fruit Manufacturing Ltd, in the early 1960's, Bell-Fruit bought the Watling tooling after it was shipped to Reno because of the Johnson Act, that wiped out the manufacturing of slot machines in Chicago in 1950.

Your machine pays out two sixpenny coins (value one shilling at the time) and the Token tube should be for a five shilling token, that was the maximum allowed by the British Gaming Board at the time. You will see stamped on the side of the base plate the wording Bell-Fruit (Reno or U.S.A.) the six pence token was also used on other Bell-Fruit machines when a machine paid out 10 tokens valued also at five shilling for a prize.

If you go to http://www.coin-opcommunity.co.uk [/color]and in the search box type Freddy Bailey you can read all of the articles I have written about the coin machine industry, including the 50th Anniversary of the Bell-Fruit Company that still manufacturing machines today.

Freddy Bail
Anglobritish
 
Posts: 274
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 11:36 am
Location: Edgewater, New Jersey. U.S.A.

Re: Bell Fruit Three Alike (English) Need electric help

Postby pachiwall! » Fri Apr 27, 2018 6:39 pm

Thanks for the history! I originally posted to help someone else learn...and I learned a bunch myself. I now know that it is a Three Alike. I did not know that Bell Fruit was a Watling mechanism. I suspected that the stingy payout was due to local gambling laws of the time. Since the belly glass says that tokens can be exchanged for Brains products...I suspected that it was in a pub. Sounds like there are more of these Han I expected. Probably not that common in USA. At least the Brains Beer version, that is.
Now that I have a 110 to 220 volt step up transformer...I am a bit eager to test the electrical parts. When I do I'll start a thread for all my new questions.
As far as worth...I think I got an acceptable deal. $150, 3 hour drive each way, flat tire on way home, and late for work that day. The machine was locked up with no key, Siezed up once I got inside. I carefully removed, photographed, and bagged the parts. Then used the pics to reassemble after cleaning and lubing. Mechanically, works great.
pachiwall!
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:27 pm


Return to Slots

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests

cron